A wide variety of tooling machines are available for performing drilling and milling operations. In such tooling machines, a tool is used to perform operations on the work piece while the tool and the work piece move with respect one another. In some operations, the tool is moved relative to the work piece, while in other cases, the work piece is moved relative to the tool. This relative motion takes place along and about various axes of the tooling machine, and may be executed manually or using automated computer numeric control (CNC).
The complexity and cost of a tooling machine often depends on the number of axes along which the relative motion takes place. Three-axis tooling machines provide relative linear motion between the tool and the work piece along the x, y, and z-coordinate axes, and are not relatively complex or costly. Four-axis tooling machines provide relative linear motion between the tool and the work piece along the x, y, and z-coordinates, as well as rotation about a horizontal axis. Five-axis tooling machines provide relative motion between the tool and the work piece along an additional rotational axis that is perpendicular to the horizontal rotational axis.
Prior to machining, the work piece holder orients the work piece at a “zero position” corresponding to the initial location at which the machining operations are to begin for a given set of machining operations. To this end, the tooling machine typically has a vice or other work piece holder for fixing the work piece to the tooling machine. Such vices/components are adapted to suit the type of work piece that is to be machined, and to ensure proper orientation and positioning of the work piece during such machining. However, if a work piece is to be machined about an axis of rotation that is not available on the tooling machine, the entire work piece holder may require replacement or reconfiguration to machine the work piece at the desired angle. This may be accomplished, for example by replacing the work piece holder with another type of work piece holder and/or mounting the work piece at a different orientation/angle on the tooling machine using additional components. Often, the work piece is removed during such replacement/reconfiguration, making it difficult to accurately remount the work piece on the work piece holder at a desired location/orientation. Each time the angle of the work piece is adjusted on the tooling machine about an otherwise unavailable rotation axis, the position and angle of the work piece is rechecked, for example, using gauge blocks and other guides. Such reconfiguration and replacement therefore introduces inaccuracies in the machining process, and further, is complex and expensive, thereby leading to idle times for the tooling machine.